Topic: Property tax rant...

[ArticSteve]

Is this happening outside of Alberta too?

Water front properties in Ontario, and their must be 500k of them within 200 km of the GTA are getting hammered.  4000k - 5000K per year for a 4 month use property is low.  No services, pay garbage, pay snow plowing. 

The "Alberta Advantage" is BS.

What are you beefing about?    You folks don't pay PST.  That's 2K per year right there. 

[xviper]

John lives in Alberta as well. He just lives in St. Albert, either the first or second (depends on year and source) highest per capita income area of the province. Frankly, that is where I'd expect to find the highest taxes. There are also those that think they should be even higher because most of those residents live in St. Albert yet work in Edmonton where they use the city's resources (roads, etc.) but pay no taxes to help maintain them.

I see.  I guess he might have a slight reason to be upset, but only "slight".  We all voluntarily choose to live where we live and we also have the voluntary choice to do something about it if we don't like things.  One of them being to move (and I don't care if he hates that sentiment) and the other is to be proactive.  Complain to the alderman, MLA and make your point known.  However, if his is the minority voice, then this land is still governed by whoever's in power and those who put them there.  That's why I wanted to know what HE was doing about it.
If St. Albert is indeed the highest income in the province, then so be it.  You take the bad with the good.  Should the rest of us feel "disadvantaged"?  Things are what they are.  I think we should re-phrase it to say the "St. Albert advantage is BS".  The rest of Albertans have (in general) done pretty well for ourselves.  I'm not filthy stinking rich by any means, but I'm comfortable and I'm OK with the economics for the most part.  I don't always agree with how our government sometimes wastes our tax dollars, but all in all, there are good jobs here with good job security and the standard of living and economy here is envied by many other Canadians.  This is proven by the numbers of people coming here of late.  Of course there are those who can't make it and go back home, but then, these numbers don't seem to affect even more from making the trip here.
I hate being taxed the way we are, but I do like some of the things that we have here.  And when you see what's happening to the economies of other provinces, we really aren't that bad off.  Complain?  Sure, why not.  It's our right but it's not always a logical or reasonable one.

[johngenx]

I don't think there is any truth to the idea that Alberta costs less to live in than any other province.  B.C's total income tax rate is about the same, and thanks to inflation in Alberta, our no PST advantage is being wiped out quickly.  I found most B.C. goods about the same prices, taxes in.  Cars is one place where we do well.

My unusually high property tax burden is thanks to the bedroom community I live in, (no industrial base) but Edmontononians that once laughed at us suburbanites paying more are now facing massive tax increases.  And yes, I ahve remained here and fight the municipal council at every turn.  But, we do the dumbest stuff.  We paid $70 Million for a new rec centre, it sucks, no one uses it, and now it's running a $2M/year deficit.  Cripes.  We built a $100M road before getting provincial approval for it to be considered a highway (so the province pays) and now we're stuck with the bill.  Mismangement?  Yes, but those decision we based on plebisites!!  Democracy spoke, and said "throw away more than three years annual budgets!!"


Medicare premiums don't exist in most provinces.  Alberta should have phased out the regressive tax years ago.

[safristi]

McSquinty has a medicare NON TAX Tax ,,,,only a Fiberal could argue that one without blushing............I wish my House had gone up ThreeFOLD  (in how many years Johnx? SVP)...mine has barely doubled in 27 years........but the downloading is hitting ALL..little towns possibly moreso...with all the Water Mandates ,Hydro Debt retirement payments ( 'cos we had a buncha wankers getting Hundreds O thousands in Salaries whilst running the place into the ground...we have to PAY TWICE on our Hydro for their beanfeasting days)...........Johnx.Take the $500,000 and run  (not to BC home of the 1Million dollar cuboard Condo) but to some nice lil community out East Up North or suck it Up buttercup......things ain't getting any cheaper...homes are available for $50 K in Elliot Lake..Snowy.......longish commute but hey think of tha Twisties.............

[quadzilla]

What does "St. Albert having the highest income in the province" have to do with property taxes? Isn't property tax based on house values, not income levels?


* This isn't directed at you xviper...I just took that line from your last post.

[safristi]

..Do U have St Albert inna CAN............. ...a classy one of course ..a Spa if ya will.....   doesn't HOME IMPROVEMENTS, # of Potties,size of Garage etcc affect the TAX?

[ovr50]

Sounds like property taxes are not so bad here compared to some of the comments above.

Our property tax bill for the current year is $2958 net of a "homeowner's grant" of about $570. Next year, I am 65, and the tax bill will drop another $275 or so. The house is assessed at $588,000 as of July 2007 and property tax assessment values are behind market values here. Our home is worth $740k and we know that is true as we just sold it. Mind you, we have no city sanitary sewer where we are, and are still on septic (sewer is in the surrounding area and our area will be hooked up within the next 10 years).

We are building a new house in an area further up the hill from our present house, and it will be on sewer. The new house value will be only slightly less than the present one, and I don't expect much change in the property tax bill for next year.

It could be worse, for sure.  

[Arthur Dent]

Sounds like property taxes are not so bad here compared to some of the comments above.

Our property tax bill for the current year is $2958 net of a "homeowner's grant" of about $570. Next year, I am 65, and the tax bill will drop another $275 or so. The house is assessed at $588,000 as of July 2007 and property tax assessment values are behind market values here. Our home is worth $740k and we know that is true as we just sold it. Mind you, we have no city sanitary sewer where we are, and are still on septic (sewer is in the surrounding area and our area will be hooked up within the next 10 years).

We are building a new house in an area further up the hill from our present house, and it will be on sewer. The new house value will be only slightly less than the present one, and I don't expect much change in the property tax bill for next year.

It could be worse, for sure. 

I pay a bit more than about that for an almost hundred year old 1400sqr ft house in Lethbridge  worth around maybe $300k

[Cord]

What does "St. Albert having the highest income in the province" have to do with property taxes? Isn't property tax based on house values, not income levels?

I would hazard a guess that areas with the highest income would also tend to have the highest property values. An area with the highest property values, no industrial tax base, and a relatively small population would generally add up to high property taxes.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

While the tax rate has been holding steady, municipal assessments in Fredericton are up ~27% over the last 3 years. What really burns me is that it's a 27% increase on non-realized gains.

I'd much rather have higher income or sales taxes than the completely medieval property tax system.

You hear the same scenario repeat itself everywhere: couple in the same neighbourhood for 20 years has to move because they can no longer afford their property taxes. Why? Because for whatever reason, Ted & Muffy have decided their neighbourhood is "trendy". McMansions spring up, and the old residents are pushed out.

The company wanted to transfer me to Edmonton at one point about a year and a half ago. I looked into it. Even with a generous wage adjustment, my discretionary income would have decreased. Service fees for everything are different from taxes how exactly? I'll stay in Freddy thanks.

[Snowman]

Is this happening outside of Alberta too?

Water front properties in Ontario, and their must be 500k of them within 200 km of the GTA are getting hammered.  4000k - 5000K per year for a 4 month use property is low.  No services, pay garbage, pay snow plowing. 

The "Alberta Advantage" is BS.

What are you beefing about?    You folks don't pay PST.  That's 2K per year right there. 

Same here around Sudbury...people who bought a few years ago are getting a big surprise in 2008.

[xviper]

I don't think there is any truth to the idea that Alberta costs less to live in than any other province.  B.C's total income tax rate is about the same, and thanks to inflation in Alberta, our no PST advantage is being wiped out quickly.  I found most B.C. goods about the same prices, taxes in.  Cars is one place where we do well.

My unusually high property tax burden is thanks to the bedroom community I live in, (no industrial base) but Edmontononians that once laughed at us suburbanites paying more are now facing massive tax increases.  And yes, I ahve remained here and fight the municipal council at every turn.  But, we do the dumbest stuff.  We paid $70 Million for a new rec centre, it sucks, no one uses it, and now it's running a $2M/year deficit.  Cripes.  We built a $100M road before getting provincial approval for it to be considered a highway (so the province pays) and now we're stuck with the bill.  Mismangement?  Yes, but those decision we based on plebisites!!  Democracy spoke, and said "throw away more than three years annual budgets!!"


Medicare premiums don't exist in most provinces.  Alberta should have phased out the regressive tax years ago.

I've never thought AB was a cheap place to live compared to other provinces.  Well, maybe cheaper than BC.  I believe part of the "advantage" is that jobs have been plentiful and those who are working, have some security.
BC, AB, Sask, have been and are currently the "better off provinces".  All of them should have a fairly similar economy and thus, it's hard to compare one to the other.  When doing so, you're merely comparing subtleties and regional differences.
THIS is the kind of thing that really ticks me off.  That's yours and my tax dollar being stupidly spent.  If not for this, maybe our tax load wouldn't be so heavy.

I never meant to make light of your tax situation in St. Albert.  Like I said, I despise being taxed the way we are.  I think I saw in the newspapers a couple of days ago, something about over 50% of our earnings go to some kind of taxes over the course of living here during the year.  I'm talking about income tax, property tax, GST on almost everything, business taxes that we all pay for in the cost of things we buy daily.
Unfortunately, the reality of such things as living in St. Albert is that the past many years, your city has had unprecedented growth and along with that growth, you require capital improvements and infrastructure.  As the city becomes more and more populated (because people just want to go there for whatever reasons they may have), that desirability translates into higher value for property and everything else that people need and buy.  Of course, high values and high prices will be a real disaster if ever a recession hits, especially for those who bought in when things were high.
We live in a democracry but sometimes, the voice of the people can sound idiotic.

[Ex-airbalancer]

  And yes, I ahve remained here and fight the municipal council at every turn. 

Thank you

[dr_spock]

Move to Quebec, Snow  I've got a '95 x '85 lot, 2,444 sq ft bungalow 15 minutes from parliament and we are paying just over $2,000.... I'll teach you all the french swear words!

Tabernac, I pay about the same for a tiny lot and half your house size.

[Ex-airbalancer]

I now pay $6300 here in Sudbury….insane. Having a lot with 75’ frontage kills me 

Move to Quebec, Snow  I've got a '95 x '85 lot, 2,444 sq ft bungalow 15 minutes from parliament and we are paying just over $2,000.... I'll teach you all the french swear words!

But then personal taxes are more in PQ ( I believe)
Best place to live is were you are the happiest

[johngenx]

  And yes, I ahve remained here and fight the municipal council at every turn. 

Thank you

That would be the difference between an occasional typo and the occasional word spelled correctly...

...and I didn't make noted typo in an teacher-bashing post.

[xviper]

This just in .....................................
Alberta's Premier just gave himself and his cabinet members a BIG FAT RAISE.  Never asked anybody about it, didn't put it through the legislature for approval, nobody even voted on it.  Municipal mayors and council members routinely do the same thing while putting the boots to all unionized city workers.  That's OUR tax dollars being spent without any controls or checks or watchdog input.
"Lying, thieving scum"!  Remember this come next election folks.

[dr_spock]

I'll vote for you if you choose to run.   

[xviper]

I'll vote for you if you choose to run.   

Thanks, but your confidence may be misplaced.  There's this very peculiar thing that happens the moment any normal, rational human being gets into elected office.  The integrity gene on the 3rd string of the 16th chromosome takes on an overnight transmutation from being an honest, reliable, upstanding locus (location of a gene) into that resembling the "scum sucking pig" array of nucleic acids.  I'm afraid I won't be able to help it.  Once I see the power, the influence, the access to free billions of dollars and that wonderful double dip pension plan, I will rob you blind.  "Conscience" will become my "Foreign" Affairs port folio.  Once I get issued my "Your vote gives me total unaccountability" bumper sticker (had to keep this a car theme), that's the only view you'll ever see of me for the next 4 years.  Well, maybe only 3.5 years.  The last 6 months, I'll be in grovel, "brown nose", suck up mode. 

[safristi]

Obama U have my VOTE.....